Celebrity Equinox or Norwegian Escape?

We are considering taking a holiday cruise in December.

Both the Celebrity Equinox and Norwegian Escape are sailing a 7-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary that appeals to us.

The price for a balcony cabin is about the same on both and both lines are offering comparable perks. We have never sailed on either line, having been on RCCL and Carnival before. Our ages: 56 (me), 62 (him).

Any advice you could give would be much appreciated. Thanks! :)

Given your ages I would suggest looking at Celebrity. IMO NCL is more like Carnival or perhaps RCI in terms of demographics and catering more towards families. Having cruised extensively with RCI and recently with Celebrity (with several more planned) I think they would be a better fit with your demographic.

If you prefer an active cruise with families and people your age and younger where you go to a fabulous spa with the best thermal suite at sea, and you could do active stuff like a ropes course, waterslides, and eat in a different restaurant every night and don't mind paying extra to do that? Then you should choose NCL Escape. We like to cruise on NCL in The Haven suites with butler and concierge service and a dedicated restaurant, pool, sundeck for suite guests. I would describe Escape as being similar to the Aria Casino resort in Las Vegas except with a waterpark.

If you prefer traditional cruise dining and a more staid cruise with dining in a MDR and a few specialty restaurants you might or might not go to, but more quiet stuff to do onboard (stuff like going to a glass blowing show or playing lawn bowls) then Celebrity is for you. I would describe Celebrity as being more laid back and catering more to older people and empty nesters. Our last cruise on Celebrity I had just turned 50 and was among the youngest onboard and got special attention from the crew because of my age. LOL! To me, Celebrity is good when you are doing a port intensive cruise such as the Med or Alaska, but not so good when you want the ship to be THE destination and want lots and lots of things to do. Also, there is no comparison between the spa on Celebrity and those on NCL and that's a big decision factor for us.

I want to mention one other cruiseline you didn't mention which is MSC they have Divina and Seaside and a "Yacht Club" which is like The Haven on NCL except it is ALL-INCLUSIVE for suite guests but costs more like the price of a junior suite on other lines. They also have the BEST shows at sea - a different show every night with Broadway caliber entertainers and the casino is non-smoking. I would suggest you consider these ships as well, especially in the Yacht Club - it's really great!